I wasn’t letting him ruin me and Dominic.
“You’re a real prick sometimes, you know that?”
Max wheeled around, cracking his knuckles. “You wanna say that again?”
Amy’s concerned voice piped up suddenly. “Max? What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he muttered, turning his back to me as he greeted his girlfriend. “Nothing important, anyway.”
That was how Max saw me in a nutshell.Nothing important.Once, that had been how Dominic had seen me too.
Not anymore.
I hurried my footsteps, leaving Max and Amy behind me. It was pointless really. Dominic usually made the bus by the skin of his teeth. I couldn’t help myself though. Even waiting there would be better than slowly walking.
My chest swelled as I rounded the corner and I was proven wrong. A figure was leaning against the wall, his long legs crossed before him. When he spotted us, Dominic straightened, a wide grin spreading over his face.
The same giddiness I’d felt last night swept through me. He was so fucking hot. How was he mine? I’d never understand it.
“Hi,” I said breathlessly coming to a stop before him. “You’re early.”
“Had something worth rushing for,” he said quietly, his fingers nimbly catching my strap as it slipped down my shoulder again. He lifted it back into place, his dimple flashing. “Next time I need to remember my bag.”
Next time.There was going to be a next time. More mornings of waking up beside Dominic. Of silent orgasms and sleepy kisses.
I couldn’t fucking wait.
“Even had time to pop and get you this.”
A paper bag was pressed into my hand. I peered inside to see a blueberry muffin. “What’s this?”
“Breakfast.” He grinned. “I know Max eats the good cereal before you can get to it and thought you might like something a bit nicer.”
I swallowed a few times before I could get the words out. “That’s… Wow. Thank you.”
He rubbed at his nose almost shyly. “It’s just a muffin.”
No. It wasn’t. It was proof that he paid attention. Evidence that he cared.
“But if you’re that impressed,” he added, “I’ll have to make sure I get them for you more often.”
A noise had Dominic’s gaze snapping up over my head. A shadow passed over his face.
I didn’t need to look behind us to know Max had finally arrived. I hastened to stash the muffin in my college bag. A bitter taste filled my mouth as Dominic took a casual step to the side, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Alright?”
This was one of those tests. Was Dominic going to stay true to his word, or was this thing between us going to end before it truly started?
I was rooted to the spot as Dominic and Max fell into easy banter. I wasn’t listening, too busy questioning how I’d got here. How I’d allowed myself to get here.
Before, it had hurt when Dominic had ignored me in favour of Max.
If he did it now, it was going to break my heart.
There was a low rumble as the bus pulled up. I barely registered it until there was a tug on my sleeve. “Ry, come on. We’re gonna miss the bus.”
I looked up to see we were alone, Max and Amy already climbing the stairs. But not Dominic. He’d waited for me.
“You okay?” he whispered. “I’m not trying to ignore you, I promise. It’s just hard to know how to act around you with Max right there.”
